Man charged with operating snowmobile drunk

A downstate man has been arraigned on drunk driving charges in connection with a Feb. 1 incident when he was rescued from Mullett Lake after falling through the ice on his snowmobile.

By MIKE FORNESmike@cheboygantribune.com

A downstate man has been arraigned on drunk driving charges in connection with a Feb. 1 incident when he was rescued from Mullett Lake after falling through the ice on his snowmobile.Patrick Marvin Ross, 63, was charged in 89th District Court April 3 with operating a snowmobile while under the influence of liquor and/or unlawful blood-alcohol content. The offense is punishable as a 93-day misdemeanor, but Michigan State Police troopers say the incident cost plenty in terms of time, manpower and potential danger to the rescuers.A report alleges Ross, of Waterford, Mich., had been drinking at a Mackinaw City establishment the afternoon of Feb. 1 and drove his snowmobile on the North Central State Recreational Trail to Cheboygan and continued south where he attempted to cross Mullett Lake to a residence near the mouth of the Cheboygan River.After breaking through the ice, Michigan State Police responded and called out the Cheboygan County Search and Rescue Team, who used the county’s Hovercraft unit to reach Ross and pull him from the lake.Ross was taken to McLaren Cheboygan Campus and later transferred to McLaren Petoskey. A blood-alcohol assessment of .294 — more than three times the legal limit — was recorded by a doctor, police said.Fire department and rescue responders from Inverness Township, Alverno and Tuscarora Township were on scene to assist.Ross, who posted a bond of $2,000/10 percent, is being counseled by a downstate attorney as to his legal options. His bond conditions include no use or possession of alcohol or controlled substances and random testing. A pre-trial has been scheduled for April 24.